The Road to WrestleMania is very nearly upon us and that means the Royal Rumble is right around the corner. This year's show promises to be a big one and, with WWE hotter now than it has been for several years thanks to Triple H, fans have high expectations.
However, even though Vince McMahon is no longer calling the shots, we still expect the men's and women's Rumble matches to feature plenty of surprise appearances and debuts.
The dream for many fans would be to see former AEW World Champion MJF make his WWE debut, though that's definitely wishful thinking at this stage. The Rock is a possibility after recently appearing to lay down a challenge to Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, but if that's planned, WWE is keeping it quiet.
What we can tell you is multiple outlets are today reporting that Liv Morgan is expected to return in the 30-women match. Her recent legal issues after being arrested for allegedly being caught in possession of marijuana in Florida clearly aren't an issue for WWE (it was, in fairness, a very minor incident) and Liv's long-awaited return is bound to get fans in the building excited.
We recently told you about plans for Trinity to return to WWE as Naomi, of course, and with her run in IMPACT Wrestling/TNA expected to wrap up at the Hard to Kill PPV, she too appears to have been slotted in for the Rumble.
On the men's side, Sean "X-Pac" Waltman is thought to have been working out in the WWE Performance Center and the former DX member making one final in-ring appearance for WWE would be an undeniably feel-good moment for fans.
So far, the confirmed Royal Rumble match participants are Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Lashley, Bayley, Nia Jax, Becky Lynch, and Bianca Belair.
The show will be headlined by Reigns defending his title against LA Knight, AJ Styles, and Randy Orton, while WWE United States Champion Logan Paul is set to square off with Kevin Owens.
In terms of who will win each of the matches, your guess is as good as ours. It seems the vast majority would like to see Reigns vs. Rhodes II at WrestleMania in April, but WWE may prioritise box office and mainstream media attention for a match which instead pits the Tribal Chief against The Rock.
CM Punk, meanwhile, is expected to battle Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Show of Shows so he has to be a strong favourite for the Rumble too. On the women's side, we'd bet on Bayley.